SYSTEMATIC CATALOGUE OF PISHES. 193 



165. SCOMBEROMORUS OA VALLA (Ouvier). 

 "Cero"; King-fisli. 



Cybium cavaUa Cuvier, Regne Animal, ed. 2, ii, 200, 1829; Brazil. 

 Scomberomorus cavalla, Jordan & Evermann, 1896, 875. 



Diagnosis. — ^Depth .16 total length; head .2 length; eye .5 length of snout; maxillary 

 extending under eye; teeth triangular, compressed; gill-rakers short, less than .33 diameter of 

 eye, 8 below angle of first arch; lateral line descending abruptly below soft dorsal fin; dorsal 

 rays xvi+15, anal rays ii,15, each with 8 finlets. Color: iron gray above, lighter below; 

 adults almost or quite unspotted; young with dark yellow spots on sides; no black blotch on 

 anterior part of first dorsal fin. {cavalla, a Spanish name meaning horse.) 



The cero inhabits both coasts of the tropical Atlantic, extending its range as 

 far northward as Massachusetts. It occurs in large schools, and is especially- 

 abundant from South Carolina to Key West. It is a powerful, active ocean 

 marauder, its large mouth being provided with sharp teeth which work havoc 

 among the schools of small fishes. 



Although the species is common on the North Carolina coast, it has rarely 

 been recorded therefrom, and ichthyological literature contains few or no North 

 Carolina references. Yarrow, Jordan, Gilbert, Jenkins, and others did not find 

 the fish in the Beaufort region, but it occurs there at the same time as the Spanish 

 mackerel, May, June, September, and October being the best months for it. It 

 does not, however, go into the estuaries and rivers like the latter, but remains 

 ■ outside, although sometimes occurring in the inlet and occasionally in the 

 channels along Shackleford Banks and Fort Macon. It is much less abundant 

 and less valuable than the Spanish mackerel, bringing only half as much per 

 pound; and, as its sharp teeth and great strength make it disastrous to ordinary 

 nets, it is not sought by the market fishermen, who, however, catch it incident- 

 ally in drift nets, set nets , and purse seines used for Spanish mackerel. Dr. 

 Coker states that 15 or 20 is a good catch to a boat in a day, but that on one 

 occasion 160 were received by a local dealer as the day's catch of one boat. 

 Mr. George N. Ives reports that when he operated large seines in the bight of 

 Cape Lookout he sometimes landed 1,500 to 2,000 ceroes at a haul, the largest 

 weighing 40 pounds. At the present time many fish could be caught there if 

 especially strong seines were used, but the cero brings a very small price and 

 is rarely marketed in the north. 



In the channels near the "banks", ceroes are likely to be found among 

 menhaden; and 2 or 3 to 10 or 20 are not infrequently caught by the menhaden 

 boats in schools of menhaden . The fish thus taken are eaten on board the boats, 

 not being considered of sufficient value to ship. In the line fishing for "trout" 

 and other species, the cero is sometimes troublesome, and may then be readily 

 caught by baiting a large hook on a stout line with a young croaker or trout. 



At Beaufort the cero is the most highly prized of the game fishes, being 

 caught by trolling. The usual weight of those thus taken is 15 to 30 pounds, 

 some being larger. Dr. Coker has seen 24 cero brought in as the result of one 

 day's fishing, this being considered a good catch, but doubtless this number has 



